1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a developing-agent receiving device arranged to receive the supply of a developing agent from a developing-agent supply container, and more particularly, to a developing-agent receiving device arranged to supply a developing agent to a developing device.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional image forming apparatus is provided with a photosensitive member serving as a latent-image bearing member, forms an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive member by a charger, an exposure device, etc., and makes the electrostatic latent image into a visual image by supplying the developing agent by a developing device.
The above-described visual image is transferred by a transfer device onto a transfer member which is a recording medium which is stored in a paper feed cassette and supplied to the photosensitive member through a paper feed roller, a conveying roller, etc., and is conveyed, together with the transfer member, to a fixing device by a conveying device provided close to a heat discharge fan, is heated and pressed in the fixing device, is fixed onto the transfer member into a permanent image, and is discharged outside the apparatus body as a final copy together with the transfer member.
In such a conventional image forming apparatus, a developing device is provided with a developing sleeve which is a developing-agent bearing member to adhere the developing agent to the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive member, and a developer container to store the developing agent, and is also provided with a developing-agent storage device (hereinafter, referred to as xe2x80x9cstorage devicexe2x80x9d) serving as a developing-agent receiving device including a developing-agent storage part as a developing-agent storage container so as to replenish the developing agent to the developer container.
In addition, a bottle which is a developing-agent replenishment container attachable/detachable to/from the storage device is provided on an upper part of the storage device, enabling replenishment of the developing agent to the storage device.
FIG. 10 illustrates the constitution of the bottle and the storage device provided in such an image forming apparatus. That is, the developing agent is supplied from a bottle 11 to a storage device 12 not by forming a discharge port of the bottle 11 to be large, but through a connection port 11a which is a supply port as a communication part provided on an end part in the longitudinal direction of the storage device 12, and the developing agent is supplied from the storage device 12 to a developer container 112a through an opening 12a over the whole area in the longitudinal direction of the developer container 112a. 
As described above, the developing agent is supplied from the end part in the longitudinal direction of the storage device 12. Therefore, even when the developing agent is made of ultra-fine particles with high flowability, any large volume of developing agent is not scattered when the developing agent is transferred from the bottle 11 to the storage device 12, or immediately after the bottle 11 is detached from the storage device 12 upon completion of the transfer, and members nearby are not stained with the scattered developing agent.
However, with the above constitution, it can take long time to replenish the developing agent. Therefore, in the conventional developing device, a conveying means 14 composed of a screw or the like is provided within the bottle 11, as illustrated in FIG. 10, so that the developing agent is replenished in a short time.
Further, in such a constitution as to supply the developing agent from the end part in the longitudinal direction of the storage device 12, the distribution of the developing agent in the longitudinal direction of the storage device 12 can be nonuniform. Therefore, a developing-agent leveling means 15 (hereinafter, referred to as xe2x80x9cleveling meansxe2x80x9d) serving as a stirring means is provided in the storage device 12, as shown in FIG. 10, and the developing agent is supplied from the storage device 12 to the developer container 112a over the whole area in the longitudinal direction of the developer container 112a. Thus, the distribution of the developing agent in the longitudinal direction becomes uniform, and no defective images are formed.
However, the quantity of discharge (the quantity of supply) per unit time from the bottle 11 is limited to the quantity corresponding to the leveling speed of the leveling means 15. That is, the quantity of discharge is set by changing the rotational frequency of the leveling means 15. The above-described rotational frequency is determined considering the constitution of the drive system, the effect on the toner, or the like.
Thus, when the quantity of discharge from the bottle 11 is set to the quantity exceeding the limit of the leveling speed of the leveling means 15, the connection port 11a between the storage device 12 and the bottle 11 can be stuffed with the toner, which would then overflow there.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a developing-agent receiving device capable of preventing a developing-agent storage container from being stuffed with the toner and preventing the toner from overflowing there, and capable of increasing the quantity of supply of the developing agent to the developing-agent storage container from a developing-agent replenishment container.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a developing-agent receiving device in which, in a developing-agent storage container provided with an opening part for receiving the developing agent to be replenished from a developing-agent replenishment container, the developing-agent conveying capacity in the vicinity of the opening part is made larger than the developing-agent conveying capacity at the position away from the opening part.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a developing-agent receiving device in which the developing-agent stirring capacity at the position away from the opening part is made larger than the developing-agent stirring capacity in the vicinity of the opening part.
The above and further objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof taken in conjunction with he accompanying drawings.